The Scummy Mummies

 

Meet Ellie and Helen……

 

Ellie Gibson is a mother to two children, veteran games journalist and stand up comedian, often all at the same time.

 

 

Helen Thorn originally hails from Australia and has lived in the UK for many years. She is a stand up comedian, also with two children.

 

 

In July 2013, Helen and Ellie launched The Scummy Mummies Podcast a fortnightly chat show for less-than-perfect parents. It was an instant hit, reaching number one on the iTunes Kids and Family chart.

 

Today the podcast has racked up hundreds of thousands of downloads and is listened to in more than 100 countries.

 

The Scummy Mummies also perform a live comedy show around the UK. See more at scummymummies.com  / Insta: @scummymummies & Twitter: @scummymummies

 

 

Tell us about what you’re up to at the moment…

 

Usually we perform our comedy show all over the UK, but we had to cancel most of the tour last year, for Obvious Reasons. However, we’re back! We did a load of successful dates before Christmas and we’re off on the road again this year. Go and check out our tour dates at the website.

 

 

 

 

Plus Helen has written a book called Get Divorced, Be Happy – it’s about what she did when her marriage of 22 years suddenly ended. Here’s the blurb:

 

 

“How do you cope when the cosy ‘coupley’ future you had planned disappears? Join comedian Helen Thorn from The Scummy Mummies as she haphazardly takes the plunge into single life for the first time in twenty-two years. She shares her own roller coaster journey from the initial shock of a surprise separation, the messy months hanging out in her PJs through to the highs of rediscovering online dating, tiny pants, rock-solid female friendships and the glorious joy of just being by herself.

 

With the help of relationship experts and an army of women who know, Get Divorced, Be Happy will show you that going it alone isn’t the end, it is just the beginning, and you will come out the other side, stronger, happier and goddamn sassier than ever before.”

 

And you can buy your copy here!

 

 

But we’ve kept doing our podcast (free to download from scummymummies.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.)

 

 

And we’ve just bunged a load of new products in our online store – visit scummymummiesshop.com for t-shirts, Scum Bags, and our best-selling Wine Mugs!

 

Seriously, please do. If we can’t start doing our shows again soon our kids will have to wear the wine mugs as shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

What was your favourite place to visit in London as a kid and why?

 

Helen grew up in Australia, but Ellie was always being taken to the Horniman in Forest Hill. It’s an amazing free museum, with loads of weird taxidermy, musical instruments from all over the world, an aquarium, and a giant stuffed walrus.

 

It’s even better than that sounds.

 

We’ve both taken our kids there loads of times, and Ellie likes it so much she got married there! Which definitely wasn’t free.

 

 

 

What is your favourite place to eat as a family?

 

Does it have to be with our own family?

 

We love pizza, so Mama Dough in Honor Oak Park (if you like hipster vibes and polished wood), or La Pizzeria Italiana in Catford (if you like wine bottles in wicker baskets and giant fibreglass cats.)

 

 

 

 

We love a working brunch at Lazy Chef in Forest Hill – they do the best Mediterranean Breakfast, and many of our jokes have been inspired by their Turkish sausage.

 

But our favourite place is probably The Orchard in Brockley, which manages to combine a family-friendly atmosphere with superb cocktails and properly impressive, delicious grown-up food.

 

Also Ellie’s mate Dan from sixth form is the chef, so she gets free chips.

 

 

Where in the UK would you recommend to another family?

 

We love a trip to Kent – it’s not too far from us in South-East London, which is good as we are lazy, but you can get a bit of countryside, a bit of coast, and there are fun places to visit like Leeds Castle.

 

 

 

It’s all about the kids, yeah?

 

It’s definitely not about the vast range of excellent pubs.

 

What would be your perfect day out with the family?

 

 

Some sort of wholesome, guilt-relieving activity in the morning – maybe a walk in the woods, or a museum visit – followed by an absolutely massive lunch with loads of wine.

 

Then off to the cinema for the afternoon. The kids can pick the film, as we’ll be napping throughout.

 

In fact they can watch it twice.

 

 

Name three places you love going to with your kids:

 

 

 

Flip Out in Wandsworth, the arcades in Brighton, the school to drop them off.

 

 

 

Bus, tube or taxi?

 

 

Train!

 

We still don’t have the tube in South-East London, and the Overground is so new we don’t really trust it.

 

You can keep your new-fangled contraptions, we like our transport unreliable and irregular, thanks very much.

 

 

 

What’s your favourite park for a winter’s walk?

 

Dulwich, because it’s nice and flat. And full of posh people, so you can have fun smiling and nodding at them, then watch them try to work out whether they’re supposed to know you from bridge or polo.

 

 

Give us a tip or a London life-hack…

 

Tired of people offering you a seat on public transport because you look pregnant?

 

Make your own version of the “Baby on Board” badge. Try one that says “Cheese on Board”, or tell it like it is: “Just fat.”